Five weeks into his NFL career, it appears that former Oregon Duck and current Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel will make his first career start, sources tell CBS Sports’ Matt Zenitz. The game will be against the Minnesota Vikings in London at 6:30 a.m. PT on Sunday.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, speaking on Monday, remained noncommittal regarding naming a starter for Week 5, saying that his focus “is on making sure the offense plays better.” That left the door open for someone other than Joe Flacco, the starter for the first four games, to start this coming Sunday after a dispiriting 34-10 Week 4 loss at the hands of the Detroit Lions. The Browns managed just 249 yards of total offense.
Gabriel, the 94th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, has served as the team’s backup quarterback for the first month, appearing in two games in mop-up duty and completing three of four passes for 19 yards and a touchdown.
The Browns hold a 1-3 record while scoring a meager 14 points per game, ranking 31st out of 32 teams. Flacco had not been performing well, completing just 58.1% of his passes with two touchdowns to six interceptions.
A change at the game’s most important position was expected at some point this season, as Cleveland drafted both Gabriel and former Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (144th overall) in the 2025 draft. Now, after just four weeks, the starting role appears to be handed over to Gabriel.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Browns to start former Duck Dillon Gabriel in Week 5, per report
